The Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi, earlier today (April 16) left for Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, where he will attend a two-day high level forum on security in Africa.

Ethiopia holds this meeting annually to provide an opportunity for African leaders to exchange views with stakeholders including academia, international organisations and media on existing and emerging peace and security challenges on the continent.

In a brief interview before his departure, the Vice President said Botswana will be attending the meeting, which starts tomorrow (April 17), for the first time. In the past, he said, Botswana had been “a progressive observer from a distance.”

He said this time around, Botswana felt the need to attend as other countries could learn some lessons of faith tolerance and inclusion in the country’s affairs as promoted by the government.

Mr Masisi said it was important for other African countries to benchmark on the good and principled policies that united the nation of Botswana, citing mineral policy, which did not discriminate on the basis of origin and location of beneficiaries.

He said Botswana, just like the rest of other African countries, was concerned about rising issues of violence perpetrated under the guise of faith and as such said the continent and its people were burdened with the task of mitigating against such and therefore needed lasting solutions.

While Botswana did not have a specific agenda topic at the meeting, he said the country was taking with it “its good foreign policy and good governance.”

Mr Masisi, who is expected back home on April 20, said the country would not shy away from rising up and enlightening others on good governance that also promoted equal opportunities and fair distribution of the country’s wealth.